Hospitality and Gifts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what gifts or hospitality he has received or given in relation to his ministerial duties in the last 24 months.

John Prescott: The Prime Minister laid an annual written answer in the House detailing ministerial gifts on 24 July 2006.
	As is the case for all other Ministers, details of any gifts I receive this year worth more than £140 will be included in the annual list that will be published next July.
	This is a process introduced by this Government, as no procedure existed under the previous one.
	Hospitality received is recorded in the Register of Members' Interests.

Older Home Owners

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues about the problems facing older low-income owner-occupiers.

John Prescott: The Government have made unprecedented investment in increasing financial support to low income pensioners. In addition to lifting 1.8 million pensioners out of absolute poverty since 1997, over £400 million each year is made available to local authorities to help poorer home owners to maintain their homes while the Warm Front programme is investing £800 million by 2008 in grants for private housing, mostly to low-income older people.

Korea

Nigel Evans: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with South Korean politicians regarding that country's relationship with North Korea.

John Prescott: I met with the South Korean Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign and Trade Minister, who is Secretary General designate of the United Nations. These meetings covered bilateral, regional and international issues which, of course, included discussion of the relationship with North Korea. The House may also be aware that I had an opportunity to lay a wreath in honour of UK soldiers who died during the Korean war both at the UN War memorial in Seoul, as well as at the site of a significant battle involving British soldiers in Gloster valley.

Civil Service

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when she last reviewed the code of conduct on propriety and ethics for the civil service.

Patrick McFadden: A new "Civil Service Code" was issued on 6 June 2006. It is the result of a review undertaken by the Cabinet Office and the Civil Service Commissioners and took account of comments made in an extensive consultation exercise. Copies of the new code, which sets out the core values of the civil service—integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality—are in the Libraries of the House.